


Where I End And Where You Start

by jenatwork



Series: Substitute [3]
Category: Free!
Genre: Everyone Is Gay, M/M, adorkable boys being adorkable, probably taking liberties with acceptable boarding school behaviour
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-23
Updated: 2015-04-30
Packaged: 2018-03-25 11:15:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3808315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenatwork/pseuds/jenatwork
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eight boys. One party.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> While I figure out how to make Sou and Mako get their shit together, here's what else happened at the Samezuka graduation party.

Momo feels good. Like, really good. Like, gooooo-ood. Classes are over, he just has to make it through closing ceremonies, and then first year is done. He's gonna be a second-year, with tons of eager new freshmen to call him 'senpai'. Even better, his brother is coming home for spring vacation and he's promised to take Momo camping. Vacation is gonna be a blast.

Plus, there's this awesome party. Okay, so there aren't any girls, but really, which girls would they invite? Besides, all his friends are here, and it's his mp3 player hooked up to the speakers so of course the tunes are amazing, and no one said anything when he helped himself to a beer from the kitchen. So Momo's feeling good.

He does a couple of laps of the party, high-fives a couple of fellow freshmen to congratulate them on making it through the year, then spots Rin and heads over to say hi.

Rin is talking to Nanase (and Momo's super-psyched that the Iwatobi guys are here too – he needs to catch up with Nagisa at some point later) but Nanase looks kinda bored, so Momo flops over the back of the couch where they're sitting and says, “Hi, Rin-senpai!” in his most cheerful voice, so that he knows at least someone is happy to talk to him. Except maybe he has beer-breath or something, because Rin shrinks back and frowns at him.

“You guys must be so excited about graduating,” he enthuses, smiling and looking from one to the other. “Rin-senpai, you have to write to us and tell us what university is like. Nii-chan says it's easier than school, but I don't believe him. But I bet it's better than school because it won't be just boys, right?” He gives Rin a knowing look, waggling his eyebrows for emphasis.

“Momo.” Rin's voice is stern and just a little rough. “Go find Ai. Congratulate him on making captain.”

“I already did!”

“Do it again.” Momo frowns, unsure why Rin would be unhappy in the middle of such a cool party. He's about to stand up, when Rin grabs the front of his shirt and holds him in place. “Ai's going to need your support next year, Momo. Someone to make sure he doesn't doubt himself. I'm putting you in charge of that.”

“Like...a secret mission?”  
Rin shares a look with Nanase that Momo can't quite see, leaning over the back of the couch like this.

“Uh, yeah. A secret mission.”

“So should I report back to you on Ai-senpai's progress?”

Another look. Momo takes the opportunity to prise Rin's hand from the front of his shirt.

“No. I'll check in with you when I need to.”

“Right. Probably safer that way.” Momo nods and stands, then holds out his hand for a high-five. Rin waits a couple of seconds before slapping his hand. “I'd better go get started, then!”

Rin's already talking to Nanase again, so Momo moves on. Nitori's currently talking to Nagisa and Rei, and Momo doesn't want to interrupt another conversation, so he takes another circuit around the living room. There's a couple of second-years, Nitori's classmates, talking animatedly by the window, so Momo wanders over to ask them how they're doing. He slows, though, as he gets close enough to hear their conversation.

“Him, though? Out of all the people Matsuoka-senpai could have picked? Fucking Nitori?”

“I know, right?” The taller of the two folds his arms. “My times have been consistent since the beginning of the year. I should have made captain, not fucking Aichiro.”

If there's one thing Momo hates, it's having his good mood ruined, and this guy just made Momo's list. Squaring his shoulders, Momo stalks up to Mr Consistent and gets as much in his face as it's possible to get considering he's a good six inches taller than Momo.

“You wanna say that again?” Momo snarls, secretly pleased that the guy looks terrified for a second. “Are you doubting Matsuoka-senpai's judgement?”

The guy opens his mouth to speak, but Momo's on a roll. Buoyed up by fury, and by the shock of hearing someone actually angry at Nitori, pure-hearted hard-working fucking adorable Ai-senpai, Momo grabs a fistful of the guy's shirt and yanks him down to Momo's eye-level.

“If your times have been consistent all year, then you're not working to make them better. Ai-senpai works _hard_. He's gonna be the best captain Samezuka's ever seen, and if you got a problem with that, you can take it up with me!”

Before the big guy can respond, Momo lets go of his shirt and turns away, uninterested in anything he might have to say. Good thing Matsuoka-senpai put him in charge of supporting Nitori; this is already proving a successful mission. He considers letting Rin know, then remembers the instruction to wait for contact and instead makes an effort to commit the incident to memory for when Rin asks.

Spotting Nitori across the room, Momo perks up again. Less worried about interrupting this time, he wanders over, eager to spend some time with his room-mate.

“Ai-senpai!” he calls, draping an arm over Ai's shoulder. Then he remembers how angry he felt at hearing someone insult Nitori, and impulsively turns the gesture into a hug. He squeezes a little tighter than he probably should, but he doesn't care too much. Momo feels good, and he wants Nitori to feel good too. 

Beside them, Nagisa and Rei share a look that Momo doesn't quite understand. What is with people doing that tonight, he wonders.

“We're gonna go find a quiet corner,” Nagisa tells him. “Rei-chan doesn't like loud parties. But we'll come find you later, Momo-chan! Have fun!” And with that, Nagisa takes Rei by the hand and steers him away. Momo thinks they probably won't find anywhere much quieter, but he doesn't care. The music is rocking, and he can't help dancing a little.

“Momo-kun, did you have any beer?” He hears the slight scolding in Nitori's voice, and doesn't like that his senpai might be disappointed with him.

“Just one. How about you?” Nitori shakes his head. “What? Not even one?” Another shake, like Nitori hadn't even considered it as an option.

Aghast, Momo instructs him to stay put and dashes into the kitchen. There's still plenty of beer, vivid green bottles in a bucket full of ice on the counter. Momo grabs two. Yamazaki-senpai is in there, talking with Tachibana-senpai. They look super-serious and Momo doesn't want to interrupt, so he just calls out “Hi, Tachibana-senpai!” and snaps off a salute on his way back to Nitori. The bottles are cold in his hand, and he's a little relieved to hand one over, but when he twists off the top of his own and takes a long drink, he's grateful for its cooling effect. Nitori looks at his warily, as if he doesn't know what to do with it, but Momo clinks his bottle against Nitori's and says, “Kampai!” which makes Nitori set his face into a look of resolve, before opening the bottle and taking a cautious sip.

“Blech!” He looks disgusted, but then the coldness hits him and he shivers comically, and Momo chuckles. Nitori scowls at him, then squares his shoulders and takes a longer drink. He still looks unhappy about it, but not so repulsed this time. He eyes the bottle suspiciously, then takes a third drink, draining about half of it this time. And Momo thinks that's awesome, the way Nitori tries and perseveres until he gets the hang of something. He thinks that Nitori's awesome, and that he's going to make an awesome captain.

He tells Nitori this, surprised when it makes him blush.

“I don't know how I'll ever match Rin-senpai's reputation,” Nitori confides. “I think he expects more than I'm capable of.”

“What? Ai-senpai, you worked harder than anyone else on the team this year.” He puts his free hand on Nitori's shoulder, then gives a squeeze for emphasis. “You're an inspiration!”

The look on Nitori's face makes Momo want to track down every single person who's ever made Nitori feel like he's not good enough, and kick them in the balls. Remembering his mission, Momo pulls Nitori in for a one-armed hug. Momo feels good, and he wants Nitori to feel good too, and hey, this is his favourite song and he absolutely _has_ to dance _right now_. He necks the last of his beer, dumps the bottle on a nearby shelf and puts both hands on Nitori's hips

“Dance with me, Ai-senpai!” he pleads, already swaying to the music. Nitori just grips his beer bottle tighter and looks flustered, but Momo's certain he'll get the hang of it soon. He makes his knees go soft and sways his hips to the beat, eyes closed as he focuses on the music pulsing through his body.

Momo feels good, and the music is awesome, and Nitori is awesome too. Except Nitori starts tapping at his shoulder to get his attention, so Momo looks at him, finally, and registers his reluctance to join in.

“Momo-kun, people are watching!”

When he looks around, Momo can't see anyone looks bothered by what they're doing. But he does see Nitori's eyes flit towards the couch where Rin is still talking with Nanase – and by the way, who goes to a party just to sit and talk? - and Momo thinks he gets it.

“You really like Matsuoka-senpai, huh?”

Nitori's eyes go wide, before he looks down at the floor.

“He's been a great captain this year, and he's really helped me a lot.”

Momo moves so that he's standing behind Nitori still with one arm draped over his shoulder, and looks at Rin. He tries to think of something equally positive to say about the guy.

“Matsuoka-senpai's pecs are so big they're practically boobs,” is what spills out of his mouth, and hey, it's not a great compliment, but he runs with it. “You could squish them and pretend he's a girl.”

“I don't want to pretend he's a girl.”

And okay, wow. Momo thinks about Nitori's tiny, dejected voice, and looks at the couch where Rin is sitting way closer to Nanase than before, and just...wow. He hugs Nitori from behind, because Nitori shouldn't have to feel bad, not when it's the end of the school year and he's at an awesome party with a beer in his hand and all his friends around. And then Nitori sort of sags back against him like he's given up on something, which, okay, that's sad but kind of cool that Nitori trusts him to be strong and support him. But that's his mission, right? So Momo's going to make sure that Nitori always knows that he's there for him.

“Do you want another beer?” He says it quietly, since Nitori's ear is so close to his mouth. Nitori drains the last of his drink.

“Yes. Please.”

Momo gives him another squeeze, then heads for the kitchen with both their empties, eager not to leave Nitori alone for too long.

In the kitchen, Yamazaki-senpai is making out with Tachibana-senpai. Which is cool, because Yamazaki's been bummed lately because of his shoulder and because of not being able to swim with Rin at university; Momo's glad he's found someone to make him feel happy tonight. He tries not to interrupt them, but he has had two beers, and can't help stumbling just a little, bumping into them as he grabs two more bottles.

“Hi again, Tachibana-senpai!” he calls by way of an apology, before leaving them to it.

Back in the living room, he spots Rin, still on the couch, only now he's kissing Nanase. Fuck you, Matsuoka, he thinks, but with little malice. He finds Nitori and hands him his beer, then impulsively puts his free hand on Nitori's neck and plants a smooch on his lips. He watches Nitori's eyes widen in surprise, a flustered “Momo-kun!” sounding just a little scandalised. But then Nitori puts his free hand on Momo's chest, and steps into Momo's space, and goes on tip-toe to kiss Momo again. And yeah, hey, that feels good, and Nitori tastes like beer and his hand is fisted into Momo's shirt and wow, Nitori's really into this.

When he finally pulls back, Nitori's smiling. Really smiling, and that's awesome. Momo clinks his bottle against Nitori's. 

“Kampai!”

Momo feels good, and now Nitori feels good, and this is just the best party ever.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course my OTP would be the one I have the hardest time writing. 2,500 words should not have taken this long.

For about the fifth time this hour, Rei pats his pockets and runs through his checklist: phone, wallet, keys, comb, breath-mints. All there. He probably could have left the comb and the mints, but one never knows. His hair might have looked fine before he left the house, but he's walked from his place to the station, and from the next station to the party, and that's a lot of time outdoors, time when his hair could quite easily go from perfectly combed to hilariously windswept. In fact, he's fairly certain that's already happened, but this is not the time to pull out the comb and deal with it.

Several paces ahead, Haruka and Makoto are walking side-by-side, much more confident than Rei about following the directions Rin sent them. Rei has to trust that they've checked the route on Google Maps, because he couldn't do it himself on account of not actually knowing the address. This also means he doesn't know how long it's supposed to take to get there; they've been walking for a good ten minutes now, through an affluent-looking residential area, and he doesn't know if they're nearly there or only halfway there or what, and it's unsettling. He hasn't been paying proper attention to the route, either, and if they get separated at the party and he has to make his own way back to the station, he won't have a clue how to get there.

Beside him, Nagisa's shoulder bumps against his arm.

“Okay, Rei-chan?” He's smiling widely, but his voice is low, soft, so the others don't hear. Which means he's checking up on Rei. And Rei sort of likes that, that someone is thinking about him and wants to make sure he's okay. He manages to smile back, mouth closed, and nods that he's okay, even though he's not really. But Nagisa is looking out for him, so he will be okay.

Up ahead, Haruka turns abruptly and leads them up to the doorway of an impressive-looking house. They can hear the sounds of the party from outside; bass-heavy music makes the ground tremble under Rei's feet, and loud voices carry through an open window. Rei steels himself for the onslaught. A house full of people he barely knows is not exactly his idea of a good time. But it would have been rude to turn down Nitori-kun's invitation, and Rei doesn't like the idea of the rest of the team going somewhere without him.

They're greeted by one of the Samezuka third-years, who recognises them but only seems to know Haruka-senpai by name. Rei follows the others inside, immediately hating the loud music. He wonders if Nagisa will be willing to leave early.

Once inside, Rei takes a few moments to appreciate the venue. One of the Samezuka team is lucky enough to have parents out of town, or so Nagisa says. Rei knows that if his parents owned a house like this, they'd never allow a bunch of high school boys in it unsupervised. The furniture is modern and expensive-looking, and there are paintings and photos on every wall and a cabinet full of interesting knick-knacks that Rei kind of wants to look at but doesn't, because Nagisa will tell him he's boring for not joining the party.

Rin soon finds them, and after some quick hellos he sweeps Haruka away, no doubt to talk about university stuff. They've both accepted places at the same university, Rei knows, so they will spend the next few years studying and swimming together. It's all very exciting and they must have tons to talk about, but Rei doesn't like the fact that their little group has already shrunk by twenty-five percent, leaving him and Nagisa and Makoto.

Thankfully, they spot Nitori-kun, standing alone by the kitchen door, and Nagisa drags Rei over to say hello. Makoto doesn't follow them, but Rei decides that he at least can look after himself. Nitori seems only slightly pleased to see them; Rei knows that Nagisa's enthusiastic friendliness is sometimes too much for some people, and he's relieved that Nagisa doesn't do anything more than sling an arm around Nitori's shoulder when he says hello.

Rei is rather relieved to notice that Nitori is as uncomfortable at the party as he is; being the odd-one-out always hurts, so finding someone equally awkward makes him feel a little more at ease with himself. They settle into a conversation about their respective teams, and the challenges facing them as new captains. Rei confides that he's grateful theirs is still only a small team – he doesn't envy Nitori being in charge of the entire Samezuka team. The Iwatobi team is growing – since their success at nationals, a few first-years have expressed an interest in swimming with them next season, so Rei and Nagisa have already started some informal coaching sessions with them, getting a handle on their abilities. It never hurts to have a head-start on training. 

Nagisa starts talking to Nitori about next year's tournaments, and they somehow end up in a heated spot of rivalry, and Rei only knows it isn't serious because Nagisa's smiling throughout. When he's serious about something, he purses his lips and narrows his eyes, so if he's smiling then he doesn't really mean he's going to trample Nitori into the dust (or pool-water). Rei feels glad that Nagisa's face is so easy to read, especially now when the music is so loud that he strains to hear what Nagisa's saying.

Soon, Nagisa's so worked up about next season that he's literally bouncing on his feet. It makes Rei tired just to watch him, and he considers putting a hand on Nagisa's arm to make him settle down. Before he can, Makoto-senpai walks by them with an empty bottle in his hand; Nagisa grabs his arm to stop him going straight past them.

“Mako-chan! Isn't this party the best? I'm going to miss you guys so much when you all leave! Promise me you'll let me visit you in Tokyo!” His words tumble out with barely a breath between them, and Rei wonders what has brought on Nagisa's sudden exuberance. He presses his face into Makoto's chest, and Makoto looks quizzically at Rei, who can only shrug helplessly.

“How many drinks has he had, Rei?”

They haven't had anything to drink yet, not even soft drinks. Rei knows that some of the older boys are drinking beer, but he has no desire to be inebriated – stumbling and slurring one's words is definitely not beautiful – and Nagisa insists that beer tastes disgusting. 

“None at all, Makoto-senpai,” he insists, trying delicately to make Nagisa give up his tight grip on Makoto's shirt. Nagisa is smiling, but the way he then latches on to Rei makes him worry just a little. Although Nagisa is frequently generous with his affections, there is a fierceness to his actions that is beyond his usual warmth.

“This party is fun! Let's go dance, Rei-chan!” Nagisa takes Rei's hand in his and attempts to drag him away, but only manages a couple of steps before he digs his heels, and Nagisa stumbles almost comically. When he looks back questioningly, Rei indicates Nitori with a bob of his head. Nagisa slaps a hand to his forehead.

“Of course! Ai-chan, come dance with us!” Nagisa's free hand finds one of Nitori's, and he tries again to lead them away, but two reluctant people are even harder to move than one.

“Nagisa-kun,” Rei scolds, “there really isn't enough space for dancing. Besides, I think it would be nice to talk to Nitori-kun some more.”

He doesn't miss Nitori's look of gratitude at this, and Rei is pleased that he's been able to make Nitori happy, at least for a little while. Nagisa calms down a little, and the three of them pick up their conversation once more. Rei actually feels like he's enjoying himself in spite of his initial fears about attending the party. He feels comfortable enough talking with Nitori, and of course Nagisa's presence is always reassuring. 

Rei thinks about Nitori, about his upcoming year as captain, and wonders how he will manage. Rei at least will be able to count on Nagisa for support, but Rei hasn't really seen Nitori interacting much with his classmates. He's been Rin's shadow the whole time Rei has known him, and he wonders how Nitori will cope without his senpai.

As if on cue, Momo appears at the edge of their little group, greeting them loudly and throwing an arm around Nitori. Nitori doesn't look exactly thrilled about this, but it reminds Rei of his earliest interactions with Nagisa. 

Maybe Nitori will be alright next year, he decides, if Momo can do for him what Nagisa has done for Rei.

Nagisa nudges him, a surprisingly discrete gesture, and when Rei catches his eye Nagisa looks like he has a secret to share. Rei quirks his eyebrows questioningly, but Nagisa doesn't explain; instead he turns back to Nitori.

“We're going to find a quiet corner,” he announces. “Rei-chan doesn't like loud parties. But we'll come find you later, Momo-chan! Have fun!” Before Rei can protest, Nagisa takes him by the hand and leads him away.

There are no free seats, so Nagisa finds a spot under the window and they sit together on the floor. Down here, Rei can feel the floor vibrating with the music, but the room's furniture shields them somewhat from the noise. The effect is actually comforting, and Rei feels relaxed, tucked here out of the way.

“Thank you for your concern, Nagisa-kun,” he says, “but I was actually feeling okay. The noise isn't so bad once you get used to it.”

Nagisa giggles.

“Silly Rei-chan! I wanted to give Ai-chan some time alone with Momo-chan.” They look at the pair they have just left alone. Momo has somehow acquired two bottles of beer and is handing one to Nitori. Rei does not approve of under-age drinking, but from Momo's flushed face and extremely high-spirited behaviour, he suspects it is too late to say anything tonight.

“Are you sure about that?” Although Momo is nice enough, sometimes Rei finds his enthusiasm a little too much to bear, and he can't help wondering if Nitori might feel the same way.

“Ai-chan needs cheering up. Momo-chan can do that better than anyone here.”

“Why does he need cheering up?”

Nagisa, now on his knees, takes Rei's hands in his own and looks him in the eye, clearly about to impart some vital piece of information. Rei does his best to look equally serious.

“Ai-chan is sad because Rinrin is leaving.”

“Well, that's understandable. I'll be sad when Haruka-senpai and Makoto-senpai graduate.”

But Nagisa shakes his head, like Rei isn't getting it.

“Sou-chan and the other third-years are leaving too. But Ai-chan is sad because Rin-chan is leaving with Haru-chan.”

Rei feels like he almost understands what Nagisa is hinting at. He looks back at Nitori , currently being embraced by an enthusiastic Momo. Behind them, he can see into the kitchen, where Sousuke is talking with Makoto. They're both drinking beer, but somehow they make it look more...okay than Momo, who has been eagerly guzzling his. It strikes Rei then just how grown-up the third-years have become. Sousuke, Makoto, Rin and even Haruka. They're practically men now, not boys in school uniforms. They will go off and study at universities and live in their own apartments, and Haruka and Rin will swim alongside world-class athletes. Rei searches the room until he sees Haruka and Rin, deep in their own private conversation.

“Nagisa-kun,” he begins, still processing his thoughts as he speaks, “do you think that Makoto-senpai is...sad for the same reason?”

“And Sou-chan,” Nagisa adds with a nod.

It takes several seconds for Rei to assemble this new information properly. It makes many things suddenly make more sense.

In their silence, Nagisa has shifted position, sitting with his legs over Rei's knees. Unsure what to do with his hands, Rei settles for resting his left on Nagisa's shoulder and his right on Nagisa's bent knees. It still amazes him that Nagisa lets him do this, lets Rei into his space to touch him like this. That he actually seems to enjoy it when Rei does. Rei thinks about Nagisa clinging to Makoto earlier, and the way his happiness seemed just a little too forced.

“Nagisa-kun. Next year, when we graduate - “

“Don't!” For a second he actually thinks that Nagisa is telling him not to graduate, but Nagisa puts a hand up to signal that he's simply interrupting. “Let's not talk about that, Rei-chan. Please?”

The room is dim, but what light there is makes Nagisa's eyes shine too brightly, and Rei can see that his smile is faltering. Without him realising it, his left hand has tangled itself in the curls at the nape of Nagisa's neck, and he finds himself rubbing his thumb back and forth over the fine wisps of hair in an attempt to soothe Nagisa's sudden uneasiness.

“I don't want to feel sad like that.” Rei can't help but continue, now that the thought is there. It's hard to look at Nagisa, so he settles for looking instead at his right hand, curved over Nagisa's kneecap. Soon, Nagisa's own hands settle over his, warm and soft. Nagisa's hands are always warm, and Rei tries not to get distracted by thoughts of Nagisa's high metabolic rate; instead he reminds himself how privileged he is that Nagisa allows him this contact.

“You want to go to school in Tokyo, right?” He has to strain a little to hear Nagisa's voice over the music.

“I want to find a good school. Tokyo has several, although the transition from Iwatobi to such a big city would be difficult.” He's rambling, he knows, and now isn't the time for that, but it's somehow easier to talk about little insignificant things than to talk about the big, big thing that's suddenly looming up between them.

Nagisa's hands tighten over his.

“Then I'll have to study extra-hard this year, so I can get into the same school as you, Rei-chan.”

“Nagisa-kun?” That's when Rei looks up into his eyes, and sees it; sees the fear that Nagisa's been hiding behind his smiles tonight.

“I don't want to feel sad like that either, Rei-chan.” 

It's the softness of his voice, the way it's whispered for only him, that lets Rei know this is Nagisa's confession. He gives what he hopes is a reassuring smile, surprised when Nagisa leans in and bumps his nose against Rei's.

Rei thinks about his left hand in Nagisa's hair, and his right hand on Nagisa's knee, and Nagisa's awkward little Eskimo-kiss. He knows it's selfish to feel like all of this still isn't enough, but if anyone will forgive him a little selfishness, it's Nagisa. So he's certain that when he leans in and tilts his head so that his lips fit neatly against Nagisa's, it will all be okay.

Better than okay, even, as Nagisa's hands find their way into Rei's hair, and one kiss becomes two, three, until he feels Nagisa smiling, and he has to shift away to do the same. He stays close, forehead pressed against Nagisa's, eyes closed, listening to Nagisa's breathy little laugh, and feels grateful that at least they have a whole year to figure things out.

Without thinking, Rei's right hand flits to his pocket, patting and feeling a reassuring bump under the fabric.

“Rei-chan?”

“My breath-mints. I still have them.”

Nagisa giggles, swatting him on the arm with the back of his hand.

“I think it's a little late for that, don't you, Rei-chan?”

Instinctively, Rei bridles at the teasing, but before he can protest, Nagisa is kissing him again, kissing and laughing and twisting his fingers into Rei's hair, and it feels so good that Rei doesn't even bother to check his pockets for his comb.

**Author's Note:**

> So it turns out I love writing Momo. Expect more of him at some point soon.


End file.
